Westfield and Chatham, which last winter claimed the Public A and Public B state championships, respectively, have not lost any steam from their incredible 2011 seasons. Seeking to extend their dominance, they are the premier public school programs in the state as the sectional finals get under way on Wednesday.

It will be interesting to see if the four No. 1 seeds from each section survive the finals. That was what the NJSIAA had in mind when it changed the public school playoff format -- to get the best four teams to advance and form a more competitive Final Four -- but that's only part of why the format was changed. If the state semifinals and finals turn out to be close contests, then I would have to conclude the current playoff experiment to be a success.

After we discover who the Final Four teams will be in the two divisions, the state semifinals will be held Tuesday at neutral sites. But let's sort out the sectional champions first.

Here's how the girls public school tournament schedule lines up for the next three days:

WEDNESDAY

SOUTH JERSEY, PUBLIC A

at Gloucester County Institute of Technology, Sewell, 7 p.m.

1-Cherry Hill East (4,082) v. 2-Mainland (3,827)

THURSDAY

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 1, PUBLIC A

at Passaic Tech, Wayne, 4 p.m.

1-Westfield (4,496) v. 3-Ridgewood (3,444)

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, PUBLIC A

at Raritan Bay YMCA, Perth Amboy, 6 p.m.

1-Bridgewater-Raritan (4,035) v. 2-Hunterdon Central (3,934.5)

CENTRAL JERSEY, PUBLIC A

at Camden County Tech, Sicklerville, 4 p.m.

1-Cherry Hill West (4,338.5) v. 2-Cherokee (3,606.5)

CENTRAL JERSEY, PUBLIC B

at Neptune Aquatic Center, 5:30 p.m.

1-Chatham (4,097.5) v. 2-Princeton (3,329.5)

SOUTH JERSEY, PUBLIC B

at Gloucester County Institute of Technology, Sewell, 7 p.m.

1-Haddonfield (3,853) v. 2-Oakcrest (NA)

FRIDAY

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 1, PUBLIC B

at Passaic Tech, Wayne, 4 pm.

1-Northern Highlands (3,820) v. 2-Mountain Lakes (3,746)

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, PUBLIC B

at Raritan Bay YMCA, Perth Amboy, 6 p.m.

1-Kinnelon (3,869) v. 2-Mendham (3,328)

My Non-Public friends, I haven't forgotten about you. The Non-Public A and B tournaments are already under way with first-round meets. In the Non-Public A bracket, perennial powerhouse Immaculate Heart eliminated Paramus Catholic; Red Bank Catholic has ousted Notre Dame; and Bishop Ahr bounced Msgr. Donovan. In the Non-Public B bracket, Mount St. Dominic knocked out Newark Academy.

Here's the rest of the first-round schedule for the Non-Public playoffs:

WEDNESDAY

NON-PUBLIC A

at Camden County Tech, Sicklerville, 4 p.m.

3-Bishop Eustace (3,804) v. 6-Pope John (2,410)

THURSDAY

NON-PUBLIC B

at Drew University, Madison, 4:30 p.m.

4-St. Elizabeth (2,750) v. 5-Gloucester Catholic (2,610)

at Pingry School, 4 p.m.

3-Pingry (2,947) v. 6-Holy Spirit (2,606)

at Jewish Community Center, Scotch Plains, 2:30 p.m.

2-Mount St. Mary (3,746) v. 7-Kent Place (1,820)

In case you can't get on the road to watch the action in person, keep checking this site to find out how the public school sectional finals and Non-Public first-round meets shook out. Swimmers and coaches, good luck.